


Tipping Point

by Novantinuum (ChromaticDreams)



Series: Brandishing the Star: A Crystal Gem's Guide to the Universe (SU shorts) [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Friendship, Garnet's future vision, Gem War, Gen, Pre-Canon, Support, reassurance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25286854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChromaticDreams/pseuds/Novantinuum
Summary: Garnet helps remind Rose of what she’s fighting for.
Relationships: Garnet & Rose Quartz (Steven Universe)
Series: Brandishing the Star: A Crystal Gem's Guide to the Universe (SU shorts) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1491011
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Tipping Point

**Author's Note:**

> Did a few quick flash fics based on one-word prompts my friends gave me to get back in the flow of writing. The prompt for this one: "egg."

Despite her powers of farsight, despite the seemingly insurmountable strength of the Crystal Gems’ common enemy, it is a sound fact of the universe that certain elements of the future will always be vulnerable to change.

_ Certain _ elements. This is the nuance most other Gems can’t seem to grasp without experiencing some form of prophecy for themselves, that there exists a delicate boundary between elements in flux and foregone consequences. Laying just beyond every unique junction of free will and possibility is a tipping point where that precise junction can never be revisited, can shift no longer. After all, when a heavy stone begins to fall from a cliff side there is no force of nature that can hope to reverse it. It  _ will _ fall, and the world at large will be forever transformed, no matter how small the ramifications.

For this reason, Garnet finds navigating the rivers of possibility less of a disorientating force while surrounded by nature. From her observations over the past few years, much of the life of this planet seems to be driven by base instinct. Plants seek water, sunlight, the sentient organisms seek food and shelter. Choices are made, and consequences stick. While she’s stumbled upon the occasional exception to this rule, the wildlife of planet Earth largely adheres to predictable outcomes. She could trace every last potential path within the lifespan of a butterfly and be reasonably certain its ultimate future would follow one of those she foresaw. 

Gems, on the other hand... Gems are complicated. Sapphire didn’t think they were, once. She used to believe futures were set in stone, that only the will of fate pushed individuals together and tore empires apart. When she still read the future for the Diamonds, all she could see was a single stream. But when Garnet considers Gems now, she’s met with an infinity of tributaries, offshoots, turns, and waterfalls, each careening down paths unique from all others. She can sense realities beyond realities. All are possible. And all are vulnerable to changes even she cannot foresee. Rubies can break protocol to push their charges out of danger. Pearls can win victory over quartz soldiers on the battlefield. Rose Quartzes can bravely rise to lead an entire rebellion. 

So many segments of the future are in constant flux, and on many occasions that can prove overwhelming.

But sometimes, the path is simple. 

Sometimes, that simplicity can remind one of what they’re fighting for.

The bird egg she’s currently watching with intrigue, for instance. The mother is away— most likely retrieving food. The thin shell is speckled brown, a completely unique pattern compared with the other two sharing the nest. She smiles as she gently removes the egg out of the nest, cradles it in her hands nestled between her gems. A few steps away, Rose sits down on a fallen tree, her untamable curls shifting around her face as she allows her head to sink into her hands.

“I know you said leaving base might help me think, but I can’t fathom how a nature walk is supposed to improve morale at a time like this,” she says, muffled through her fingers. As she looks up, shards of anger shoot through her dark eyes, the fringe of her hair casting a shadow over her features as she continues to expound her frustrations. “Over five hundred of us, mercilessly  _ shattered _ on the battlefield, and it’s all my fault.  _ I _ gave the orders,  _ I _ sent them to ground the landers in facet 4! They’re gone because of me.”

She sighs, heavy and despondent, her eyelids fluttering shut.

“There’s days I genuinely wonder why I’m even fighting anymore.”

Garnet’s gaze flickers downwards, towards the life she holds between the sum of her very being. (Its warmth is comforting, in a grounding sort of manner.) There’s definitely been cycles— dark, daunting excursions into terrifying possibility— where she emerged with the same doubt. She knows it can’t be easy, leading so many frightened, angry Gems in revolution against such a daunting power while carrying the expectation of constant poise, strength, and grace. What she also knows is that her friend shouldn’t let that expectation weigh her down so heavily that she feels unable to express vulnerability around the others, to take care of her own needs. And in this moment, when she peers into Rose’s future, there are so many paths where she collapses under this strain. Where she eventually buckles to the Diamonds’ will, where the rebellion is crippled at its knees. None of these paths are certain yet— the present is still in flux, decisions still lie at their junctions— but in number, they are many.

(There’s still time, though. There’s still a chance for change.)

Garnet joins her on the mossy trunk, still cradling the spotted bird egg. “Rose, I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anyone else before.”

While still visibly sullen, the quartz lifts her chin to listen with intent. 

“Sometimes,” she begins, peering amongst the tree canopy to admire all the wildlife flying and scampering throughout the boughs, “when I’m using my future vision in private, I become so overwrought with inner instability over what I see that I almost fall apart. When that happens, I find myself turning towards Earth. I immerse myself in nature, in all the life of this world I’ve sworn to protect.” A serene smile crossing her lips, she lets the ambiance of her surroundings wash over her, briefly quieting that instinctual drive to continuously peer into the future. “It’s calming. I hoped it might be calming to you, too.”

Rose bites at her bottom lip, her fists grinding into the thick layers of her dress as she considers. “I suppose... I can give it a try?”

The egg in her hand vibrates, a small, yet irrevocably important thread of the future just beginning to slot into place. Suddenly catching wind of an opportunity to nudge her friend towards a happier dawn on her journey through leadership, Garnet offers the still-intact shell to her.

“Here. You’ll like this.”

Confusion flooding her face, Rose extends her hands to accept the gift. The moment her fingers wrap around the egg, however, her face glows in wonder. The chick inside begins to peck at the thin shell, cracks spiderwebbing from the center as it emerges. 

By the time the bird has finally shed its old home, the look of pure awe on that Gem’s face is all Garnet needs to be certain that— no matter what else transpires— the future they create together  _ won’t _ be one where they allow this breathtaking planet to die. 

**Author's Note:**

> A note on the portrayal of Garnet's future vision... I imagine she is still young, and that this takes place around the first half of the war, long belong Rose fake shatters herself. With this in mind, she hasn't lived amongst the creatures of Earth long enough to fully grow to appreciate just how complex life is for them as well. I think there's a point to be made in that conscious, self-aware creatures have a far greater capacity for both _more_ potential choices and unexpected choices, (in comparison to, say... plants), but I also think she underestimates the animals of this world. She probably still underestimates humans, too.
> 
> As the years move on, I believe her understanding of her own future vision will evolve to account for this added complexity- just as her realization of Steven's emotional growth opened her vision up to a world of new possibilities.


End file.
